In a desperate bid to seek a better life in Europe, thousands of refugees and migrants leave the shores of Libya and cross the perilous Mediterranean Sea every month. Over 2,000 people have died making the journey in 2015 alone.

The routes to and journey through Libya are also dangerous, however, and since the fall of Muammar Qaddafi in 2011, the country has struggled to achieve and maintain stability. Porous desert borders, rival fighters, and weak governance have left much of Libya in complete chaos.

With militias controlling large swathes of land, their attentions have turned to the people that cross their territories. The fighters assert they are bringing order to the country as they detain the refugees, yet these people's lives have become valuable commodities to the militias as they try to solidify their positions in the country.

In this excerpt from 'Libya's Migrant Trade,' VICE News visits a militia-run camp in a suburb of Tripoli, where migrants and refugees endure harsh conditions and suffer from starvation and disease.

Watch "Libya's Migrant Trade: Europe or Die (Full Length)"

Read "Razor Wire, Soldiers, and Mud: Hungary Is Sealing Itself off Europe's Migrant Route"